Bad Yet Good Timing
by Ciara Wynne
Summary: It's the end of their seventh and final year at Hogwart's, and James has to propose to Lily before she goes home. The only problem? They're on the train to Kings Cross, and James hasn't even begun to bend his knee! What's a marauder to do? Why, improvise of course!


**This is just an idea I had one day. If timing wasn't on James' side when he wanted to propose to Lily. I own nothing, rights go to JK, enjoy!**

**Peace,**

**Ciara xxx**

James was shoving frantically through the crowd of students as the Hogwarts Express prepared to leave Hogsmeade Station. He had to find her before the meeting. He kept on seeing flashes of red out of the corner of his eye, and he found himself spinning on the spot. Dumping his trunk on the large pile by the luggage carriage, James jumped onto the train and began barrelling down the aisles, looking in every one. Nothing. By the time he got to the Heads compartment, the train was beginning to pull out of the station. He momentarily paused and watched Hogwart's go by. He would miss that place. But he had something else to do right now.

He rushed into the compartment to find everyone there, and Lily giving a talk to the prefects. They all turned to look at James, who simply smiled. "Sorry I'm late, first years needed help with luggage."

Lily smiled back and carried on talking, congratulating everyone on a good year, and hoping that they'd continue to be just and fair if they were prefects again and when she and James had left. There was a smatter of applause and butterbeer for everyone. As everyone was leaving, James grabbed his girlfriend's arm. "Lily."

"Hey, James," she smiled, going on tiptoe to kiss him lightly. "Come on, let's find the others." As they walked down the aisle, James fidgeted with his pocket.

"Lily, I-"

"Prongs!" Sirius bounded down the carriageway. "There you two are; where've you been? Snogging in a corner, I expect."

"Sirius," Lily laughed, "we were at the Prefects meeting."

"That's what she said," Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. James whacked him over the head.

* * *

The next few hours, James couldn't get a word in edgewise. Everyone was talking at once, talking about summer plans before getting a job and a place to live. It was a constant stream of babble until it finally quietened down. It had to be now. James turned to Lily and opened his mouth. Then a fifth year prefect came in.

"Lily, there's a fight between a few Slytherin and Gryffindor second years."

The Head Girl rolled her eyes and pecked James on the lips. "I'll handle this one. You can have some guy time."

"We'll come with you." Marlene and Alice stood up and the girls made their way out of the compartment. It was then James realised that they were almost at Kings Cross. He groaned.

"What's wrong, Prongs?" Remus asked.

"Everything," he complained. "Nothing is going according to plan."

"What plan?" Peter asked.

"My plan. My private, my-eyes-only plan. And now it will never be put into action. We're almost at the station." the other young men tried to pry it out from James but he wouldn't budge.

The train stopped and there was a moment of silence. This was it. They'd never get on this train again. They were going out there, in the world, going to make their mark.

"Well, lads," James stood up. "I'll see you in a week or two. Sirius, I'll meet you by Mum and Dad. There's something I need to do."

Before they could say anything, James was off the train and running towards luggage. He found his girlfriend struggling with her trunk.

"Let me help you, redheaded maiden."

Lily laughed. "Yes, help would be good." James grabbed both handles and lifted it off the carriage and onto the platform. Then he grabbed her hands.

"Lily, I just want to-"

"I know," she smiled and kissed James, making him momentarily forget what he was going to say. When she pulled away, James had a happy smile on his face. "We'll meet up over the summer, yeah?"

"Yeah," James said automatically. "Of course." He pulled her into a hug and breathed in deeply; her hair smelled like vanilla. "See you soon?"

"See you soon," she smiled, and disappeared into the crowd to find her friends.

James stared after her, smiling, then remembered what he wanted to say to her. "Damn it!"

Sirius burst out of the train steam. "Prongs, Mum and Dad are looking for you-"

"I have to find Lily," James interrupted.

"What? Why?"

* * *

"Evans! Lily Evans!" Everyone backed out of the way as Sirius barrelled down the platform. He was even more frantic than James had been at Hogsmeade Station. "Excuse me, someone's love is at stake! Excuse me, thanks. Lily Evans!"

The girl in question had finished teary goodbyes with her friends and had found her parents and sister. As she was running towards the barrier, a person ran in front of her and let the trolley crash into them.

"Sirius!" Lily said incredulously. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" Petunia was disgusted by the sight of the Black boy.

"You can't leave," Sirius said desperately. "Not now. Not yet."

"Sirius, I know. Hogwart's is over, we're no longer students, you want to celebrate with twenty shots of Firewhiskey at the Leaky Cauldron; but I'm really tired, and I want to go home. Maybe later this week."

She shoved against her trolley to prove her point, but Sirius gripped it with both hands, staying put.

"No! It's not about that."

"If it's about James writing a letter to my dad, I don't know either!"

"Evans, would you just-"

"Lily?" James' disembodied voice boomed over the noise, and the platform miraculously fell silent. "Lily Evans?"

"James?" Lily yelled, luggage forgotten. She missed the happy yet smug look on her father's face, and the wink he shared with Sirius.

"This might seem a little odd, but I needed to ask you something since the moment we graduated."

"We had an entire train ride for you to do it," Lily shouted, even though you could've heard a pin drop.

"It's hard to talk when everyone's mute button is broken." There was a ripple of chuckles through the crowd.

"So, I'm listening," Lily started walking through the crowd. Petunia complained to their parents about being late for her boyfriend. "What's up?"

James chuckled. "Anyone who knows us, they'll probably know how this story goes."

"Are we really going through this?"

"Yes. Lily and I first met on the train in first year. We didn't exactly get off very well. But in third year, I realised the reason I chased her was because I loved her. So I asked her out. She said no. I asked her out again. Same answer. Soon, every time I saw her, I'd ask her out. Every time, she rejected me. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. But I must've done something right the 1254th time, because she said yes." There were whoops from some fellow seventh years. "So we've been dating for a while now. And Lily, I know that this is really weird, but I've loved you for seven years, and I don't think I'm stopping any time soon." There was a collected "aww" from the crowd.

"What are you saying, Potter?" Lily called.

"Seventh year is about going out into the world, big changes and big opportunities, right? Well, I want to make a change concerning you and me, and I hope it will be permanent."

"James, where are you?" A little circle of ground had appeared around her.

"Lily Evans," James mused, his voice behind her. "I wonder what that would sound like if you swapped Evans for Potter."

Lily spun round to see James. On one knee. With a small velvet box. In the crowd a girl screamed and there were many squeals of delight. Snape stood with his mouth hanging open. Sirius, Remus, Peter and Lily's family had wrestled to the front of the crowd. Petunia was gaping like an outraged fish, Mrs Evans had a hand over her mouth; Remus had a look of shock frozen on his face, Peter stood with his jaw hanging. Mr Evans and Sirius were grinning and leaning forward in anticipation.

The velvet box clicked open to reveal a silver band with a single emerald set in. The messy-haired boy raised an eyebrow at his speechless girlfriend. "I think you know what question follows this."

And Lily smiled. Not a grin or a smirk, or a beam. It was one that made everyone's hearts lift at the sight of it, one that James had been in love with when he first saw it. It was a Lily smile. And the only people who got those smiles had done something that had made her day.

"And I think you know the answer that follows after that," she said simply.

With a laugh of pure happiness and delight, James leapt to his feet, pulled Lily towards him, and kissed her. The crowd erupted into cheers; Mrs Evans was hugging Remus, Petunia seemed furious, Peter was bouncing with excitement. Sirius and Lily's dad were doing their own victory dance.

"So," James murmured against her lips. "Me and the guys are flat hunting later this week. Care to join us?"

"Definitely," she replied, the Lily smile still lighting up her face. James took the ring and slipped it onto her ring finger; they both admired it glittering in the sunlight.

"Should I order a king sized double, or a queen?"

"I'll leave you to that." And with that, they turned to the arms of their friends and family.


End file.
